Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-02-07
CITY AND DISTRICT.
SEEN THROUGH A CAMERA.

Mr. MUYBRIDGK. TALKS TO THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY
HOW ARTISTS HAVE IGNORED NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
STATUES THAT VIOLATE NATURAL LAwstPOSsIB1LITY
OF PHOTOGRAPHIC CANNON BALL IN IT'S PLIGHT.
Mr.. Edward Muybridge, the photographer
whose work with the camera has thrown much
light upon the subject OF animal lOcomOtiOn, at
tended the meeting of the Biological society Satur
day night and displayed series OF photographs
Mr. Muybridge has been at work for many months
under the auspices OF the University OF Pennsyl-
vania. The first years work was somewhat futile,
owing to the difficulty OF securing plates OF suffi-
c1ent senstiveness to record the impression Of an
inf1nitesimal fraction of second. Among his
hearers Saturday evening was Mr.. A. r. Wallace,
the distinguished English naturalist, now visiting
this city. MI. Muybridge's photographs are
mounted on large cards. The views are in series
OF twelves placed side by side, illustrating each
the successive attitudes or positions taken by a
man In making a stride, horse In cantering or
present photographs taken from different points
OF view at the same instant. Thus man walk
ing Is photographed at right angles to the line OF
motion; again from point in front OF the man,
and again from the flank or rear, 50 the photo
graphs when properly grouped show every move
menu ana oscillation OF the body.
BATTERIES OF CAMERAS.
Mr.. Muybridge stated that at each point Of view
battery Of twelve cameras are placed The ex-
posureS are made with the rapidity of thought by
means OF electric apparatus The whole chain OF
cameras Is controlled by delicatey adjusted appa-
us WORK at given instant, so that the twelve
plates reproduce twelve successive attitudes and
the Time consumed in the work is recorded by a
chrOnOgraph Much interest was shown by MIR.
wallace and other scientists present In series
OF pictures representing the flight OF pigeon in a
iine Slowly ascending. These pictures revealed
FORWARD movement Of the wings. Mr. Wallace
suggested that a similar series representing the
night OF butterfly would afford an interesting
study. Mr.: MuybridgeHs pictures representing an;
finals in various modes OF locomotion are well
known. Many of them, especially those recording
the attitude OF horse In full galop, or on can
ter, seemed grOtesque in view OF the impression
generally supposed made on the eye in observing
horse gallOp and the conventional ideas followed
by artists Mr.. Muybrtdge SaidEhe ancient Greeks,
ton OF the action OF the limbs of animals than our
modern artists. The Indians OF this country, In
their rude representations OF horses, were more
nearly correct than the great painters and sculp-
tors OF the day. In Paris he robe taken from
this country by the Marquis de Lafayette which
had been decorated with drawings by Indians. ON
TINS appeared horses on the gallOp, with all four
legs drawn under their bodies in other attitudes,
which the camera had proved to be- truthful, but
which had not been recognized by civilized ar
fists.
UNTRUTHFUL EQUESTRIAN STATUES.
In the equestrian statues Of Europe and OF this
country, he said, nature was distorted. The horse
OF the Scott statue in this city, he said repre-
Sented In an attitude which no horse ever did
VI COulu dSSuIIt, III WdlklQS. de OU-
served alSO that the movement OF all animals in
galloping was precisely the same, and that after
their flight through the air they came to the
ground first on one of the hind feet. Artists, he
said, had begun TO recognize the truth regarding
this matter OF animal lOcOmOtfOn, and he had
observed In recent numbers OF the Century horses
depicted In natural positions. He combatted the
idea that one who observed closely horse in a
gaOp, having first rid himself OF his precOnceived
opinion. would at any time receive the impression
OF an animal with his fore legs thrust forward and
his hind legs backward at the same instant, as is
generally represented in art. The impression
would be that OF an animal with the fore legs
drawn under the body. The collection OF photo
graphs represented among other things, athletes
wrestling, ball-player striking ball. a cr1cketer
bowling and another batting, woman carrying
water, child running, and babe leaving its
mothers arms and taking its first steps. Some OF
the pictures represented falling water or spray,
the drops being Photographed like snOwfakeSL
PHOTOGRAPHIC A CANNON BALL.
Mr.. Muybrtdge, referring to the statement OF q
recent Partisan scientist, that the camera and
plates had been so perfected as to take an impress
sion In one thOusandth part OF a second said that
In recent experiments at the University OF Penn
sylvania 1t had been demonstrated that impress
SlonS had been taken in one SiX-thOusandth
part OF second. Assuming that an impression
could be taken in one five-thousandth OF second,
cannon ball eight inches long, having a velocity
OF 900 feet per second could be photographed in
It's flight, but would appear elongated to twelve
inches